Black Coffee
by writexaway
Summary: Working at a coffee shop has its ups and downs. The perks? Free coffee and working with your best friend. The downside? Dealing with a wealthy young man whose heart is as cold as his demeanor. All human.
1. new customer

Disclaimer: I do not own _Twilight _or any of its characters. No profit is being made from this story.

**new customer**

Preparing a good cup of coffee was an art form. My boss Joe had branded that phrase into my mind since the first day I'd started working at his coffee shop. You cannot add too much sweetener to the coffee, he'd tell me regularly. Sugar ruins the intricacies of a smooth roast.

It was a tiny and warm, nestled on the corner of Lake and Elmwood between a boutique clothing store and a trashy day spa. Cup 'O Joe was certainly not glamorous in its name and held a form of unavoidable cheesiness that did not exist in the more luxurious, modern Beanery that had opened months prior a few blocks down. Regardless of the subtle outdated hues permeating throughout the store, I held a fondness for Joe and the quaintness of his shop he'd been running for over thirty years. He'd taken me in as an employee when I was eighteen years old and desperately needing some cash to line my wallet for college. Three years later, and I still find myself taking the long walk to his store to prepare coffee for the regular customers I'd grown to know.

This particular morning had been beautiful. It was mid-month October, with a sweet spiciness breezing through the air and brushing against my face. The walk was pleasant during these cooler months, and I was able to encompass a lingering appreciation for the colors that autumn offered. The sky was blanketed in deep grays, casting a comforting dimness to the sidewalk pavement. I loved this time of year so much.

I strolled through the doors, the recognizable dinging noise echoing as I made my way towards the counter. Joe was hard at work, exchanging a wad of bills from a woman for a cup of steaming coffee. As I walked towards the back of the counter, I recognized the woman to be Mrs. Howard; she was a sweet woman in her fifties with more stress lining her mouth and eyes than most her age. She gave me a small half-smile and nodded before making her way out of the store and into the cool morning air.

"Bella," Joe said warmly, closing the register and wiping his hands across his apron. "How was the drive?"

As I hung my jacket and bag over a knob in the back wall near the pantry door, I smiled slightly. Joe was in his sixties - an older man with salt and pepper hair and a heart of gold. While his energy as a manager and owner of his beloved shop was still noticeable, his progressing age was definitely shining through.

"I don't drive here, Joe," I said teasingly, reaching for my red apron and tying it around my waist. "I don't have a car, remember?"

Smacking his hand lightly again his thinning hairline, he let out a short laugh. "Of course. My mind does not work the way it used to."

As I washed my hands in preparation for the heavy traffic that would soon flood the store, I saw a petite form skipping towards the counter. It was Alice; she was a regular employee and one of my best friends for years.

"Morning!" she sang, stepping around the counter with her trademark bubbly grin plastered on her small mouth. "It's a beautiful morning, isn't it?"

"I didn't know you were working today," I said. "I thought you usually work the afternoon shift."

"I do," she affirmed, hanging her heavy coat and deep blue scarf on an empty knob next to my things. "But I have an exam at three, so I figured I'd take the earlier shift today."

Alice strode towards Joe, leaning over and pecking him lightly on the cheek. This gesture brought in a slight grimace from a customer waiting for her decaf latte. I was used to it, however - Alice saw Joe to be a fatherly figure to her and nothing more.

"Always energetic," Joe mused as he handed the warm cup to the woman. "You always give life to my shop, Alice."

"That's what I'm here for," she smiled before turning to me. "Are you coming out with me tonight?"

I suppressed the urge to groan aloud. Alice always went out drinking with a few of her friends from various classes - usually to local bars or the occasional club - and that wasn't something I was into.

"I think you know the answer to this."

"Come on, Bella," she pouted, tying an apron around her narrow waist. "You _never _come out with us - I promise it'll be fun."

"It always is," I murmured, smiling at a young girl with her mother as they approached the counter. "Hi, there. What can I get for you?"

The woman pursed her lips together slightly, narrowing her eyes at the large menu plastered on the wall behind me. "I'll have a black coffee - " pausing, she glanced at her daughter. "What do you want, sweetie?"

"A hot chocolate," the little girl said, her blonde curls bobbing with a nod. "I want cinnamon on it, too."

"One black coffee and one hot chocolate with cinnamon on it coming right up."

As I poured the coffee into a paper cup for the woman and started on the hot chocolate machine, Alice let out a loud sigh as she handed the customer her change. "You don't even have to get _that _drunk."

"Alice, there's a little girl here - "

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she huffed, waving at the woman and little girl. "It's just that I can't _stand _to see you sit inside with a book or a movie rental again. You're twenty-two, Bella! You need to _live _a little!"

"I _live _just fine." Handing the two cups to the clearly annoyed woman, I offered an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry about that. She's hyper in the morning."

The woman gave a long look to Alice before turning to leave. "I can see that. Thanks."

As the door closed with her departure, it was my turn to stare at Alice. Joe had been in the back, thankfully, so he wasn't around to verbalize how wrong it is to talk about getting drunk in front of a little girl and her mother. "I know you want me to come out - "

"More than _anything_."

" - But I'm not into that."

"_Please_, Bella?"

I sighed. She was persistent.

"Fine," I said. "I'll think about it."

Alice let out a squeal at this, rushing towards me to envelope me in a hug. "I _knew _you'd come around! You won't regret it, I swear."

I winced as her small arms crushed around me in a vice grip, and then patted her shoulder gently. "I said I'd _think _about it."

She pulled away then, smiling in my face. "Thinking is better than a flat-out no."

At that, the door opened again and I caught a strong whiff of expensive cologne. Turning to glance at the door, I saw a young man - probably a little older than me - strolling towards the register. He was tall and draped in an expensive dark suit with a light grey silk tie knotted around his neck. His hair was a brown color of some sort, cut short and neat. He made his way to the register, his dark brows furrowed together and his mouth downturned in a frown.

"Hello!" Alice greeted enthusiastically. "What can we get for you today?"

His eyes, which I think were a hazel color, slowly drifted from Alice to me and then to the board. Staring for a long moment, he let his gaze fall back onto me. "What do you have that doesn't taste like shit?"

For the crudeness of his question, his voice was surprisingly calm - cold, even. I let out a little laugh, thinking he'd been joking around, but when I did so, his face remained stoic. Clearing my throat, I chewed my lower lip uncomfortably and craned my head to look at the board. I didn't like how heavy his stare was on me.

"Well, um - " I coughed at the back of my throat, turning to look at him. "Do you like plain coffee or are you into the more elaborate drinks?"

"I take my coffee black."

I nodded. "Okay. Anything in it? Cream? Or sug -"

"No cream. No sugar," he paused, blinking once. "No bullshit."

I blinked. Alright, then.

"That's fine. We have an excellent roast here - "

"I'm only here because my usual place is too crowded and I have a meeting in twenty minutes," he drawled, his gaze never faltering. "So get me my cup of mediocre coffee so I can be on my way."

I was speechless. Who the _hell _did this guy think he was? Alice, who was usually running her mouth nonstop, was even stunted and staring quietly at the outwardly cold young man.

I resisted the urge to ask him what his problem was - he _was _a customer, after all - and poured him his _mediocre _coffee. Handing it to him, I made no attempt to smile. "It'll be two twenty-five."

He let out a little laugh, the corner of his full mouth quirking up only slightly. Fishing through his pocket, he threw a ten onto the counter and grabbed his coffee swiftly. I looked at the bill for a long moment before glancing up at him.

"I said it was two - "

"I'm not deaf," he sneered. "Keep the change."

His gaze lingered for a moment on me before he turned and walked out the door. He was gone before I even realized. Alice was leaning against the counter, staring towards the front of the store with a bewildered expression on her face.

"What was _that _about?"

I sighed, my shoulders slumping. "I have no idea."

"Bad day, maybe?" she looked towards me.

"Maybe."

We were quiet for a moment before Alice spoke again. "I know one thing's for sure - "

I yawned against my hand, glancing to her. "What's that?"

She grinned then, the whites of her teeth gleaming under the dim lighting. "He was _gorgeous_."

I sighed, rolling my eyes. _Typical Alice_.

Forcing a smile to my face as another much friendlier customer entered the store, I couldn't shake the vision of those cold eyes searing into me.

It would be a long day.


	2. lid mishaps

**lid mishaps**

After mister jackass had left me a ten dollar bill and taken his coffee, the morning seemed to drag on. Alice kept things upbeat for the most part, gossiping about a girl with too much makeup in her politics class or the sexy graduate student assisting her professor in sociology. I listened and nodded while focusing on preparing each beverage for our customers, all the while envisioning the sharply dressed man with the bright hazel eyes who'd been so unjustifiably rude. I knew I needed to shake the thought from my mind, as the chances of encountering him again were slim to none. His _preferred _coffee shop didn't have such _mediocre _coffee after all, right?

When two thirty rolled around, Alice was eager to have one last word before fleeing to her history exam. She'd stepped in front of me, her pretty features easily visible within the short distance between us, and placed two slender hands atop my shoulders.

"Listen to me," she said slowly, her eye contact direct and oozing sincerity. "_You_ are going to come out with me tonight. _We _are going to have margaritas and dance with attractive men. Is this in anyway unclear?"

I cocked my head slightly at her, lifting a hand to gently push one of her own off of my shoulders. "_I _told _you _that _I _would think about it, Alice."

Rolling her eyes with a groan, she dropped both hands to her sides. "Fine. But I expect you to call me with whatever you decide - " Pausing to button up her coat, she looked towards me. "And I'm expecting your decision to be in _both _of our favors."

A short laugh escaped my lips. "How is getting drunk and dancing with other drunk strange men in our favor?"

"Have you _seen _some of the bachelors wandering around this city?" Her eyes widened and she brought a hand up to fan at her chest. "They're _unbelievable_, Bella. Besides, you're single. And that's just not okay."

Draping her scarf around her neck, she offered a small smile. "Do you mind making me a caramel macchiato? I'm needing some _major _caffeine before I fail this test."

"I thought you studied," I teased, reaching below the counter for the bottle of caramel syrup. "But yes, I'd be happy to."

Alice took a seat near the front counter at a small table, strumming her fingers across the tabletop and humming lightly to herself. As I made progress in preparing her drink, the dinging sound of the door opening echoed through the store, and I caught sight of a young man making his way towards the counter. He was dressed in a pressed charcoal grey suit with a dark blue dress shirt and a black patterned tie. His hair was a strange color - a brassy blonde - and sprouted from his head in a wild arrangement of curls. His skin was an unsightly pale color, and the redness of his lips was even more detectable due to this fact. He stopped in front of the counter, staring at me with an odd expression.

"Hi, there," I spoke to him. "Just give me one second and I'll be ready to take your order."

"I'm not ordering anything." His voice was deep and even as he spoke, his eyes not meeting mine.

"Um…" I struggled with what to say as I finished Alice's macchiato. "What can I help you with, then?"

I noticed he was holding a small piece of paper with a shimmery gold accent running along the sides. He stared down at it for a moment and then spoke up. "I am here on behalf of Mr. Edward Cullen."

Silence.

"I'm - uh… I'm not sure what that means," I said slowly. And it was true - I had no idea who this man was referring to. "No one by the name of Edward Collins works here."

"_Cullen_," My mistake was abruptly corrected by the man, and for the first time since he'd walked in, he looked up at me with a hardened stare. "Edward _Cullen_. And no, I am not seeking out an employee."

As I capped Alice's drink with a clear lid and placed it atop the counter, I saw that she wasn't eager to rush and collect her favorite drink. Her attention was focused primarily on this young man, and her eyes were vibrant and indicative of excitement as she peered at him from her table.

"Then may I ask who it is you're seeking out, sir?"

He again let his gaze fall to the slip of parchment between his long, pale fingers. "At approximately nine o'clock this morning, Mr. Cullen purchased a black coffee from this facility."

"You'll have to be more specific, many people order black coffee - "

His head shot up, eyes locking on me in a vicious grip. "No sugar, no cream, no bullshit."

_Ding, ding, ding. Bingo._

"Oh. Him."

The man nodded, looking back down at his paper. "I'm looking for a young woman in her early twenties. She has long, frizzy dark hair and is wearing a lumpy blue sweater - " he stopped short, looking up at me and studying me for a long moment. Alice let out a small laugh in the distance from behind her hand. My cheeks flushed as I glanced down at the horrid blue sweater I'd been forced to wear today. The man coughed uncomfortably, quickly shifting his eyes back to the paper. "Oh. Right. Well, um. Mr. Cullen ordered a black coffee and on his commute to work, the lid had fallen off and the beverage had splattered across his shirt. Due to the top of the cup not being fastened correctly by the young woman with the lumpy sweater and frizzy hair, Mr. Cullen burned himself and his shirt has been permanently stained."

I stared in bewilderment for a long, _long _moment at this man before conjuring up something to say. "I'm sorry that… uh… this incident happened. Would Mr. Cullen appreciate a free coffee on us?"

The man shook his head, his brassy curls moving a bit with the motion. With a swift draw of his hand, a sheet appeared on the counter before me with neatly typed black lettering etched across it. I leaned closer, narrowing my eyes to better read it. "What is this?"

The man cleared his throat, using his index finger to push it closer towards me. "This is a bill for the ruined shirt. Mr. Cullen expects it to be paid in full immediately."

_What._

_WHAT?_

"Are you kidding me right now?" I stared at him. "This is a joke, right?"

The man shook his head, still avoiding my gaze. "The situation could have been avoided, but due to the circumstances - "

"_What _circumstances? I didn't seal the lid completely - so _what_?"

"The address of Mr. Cullen is printed below. You may send a check or money order to that residence."

I picked up the paper, inspecting closer. When my eyes trailed down to the number bolded near the bottom, I nearly had a heart attack. "Six _hundred _dollars?"

I heard Alice gasp lightly behind me as my mouth dried. The man nodded curtly. "Yes, that's right."

"Who _is _this guy? Who the hell spends six hundred dollars on a shirt?"

"Mr. Cullen would appreciate the bill being paid within the next two days."

I laughed then - but it wasn't a laugh of humor or delight. It was a laugh that said _what the fuck is going on_ - and it truly indicated my state of mind. "What's your name?"

The man hesitantly lifted his gaze to mine. "Jasper."

"Okay, Jasper. Listen here - " I paused, pushing the paper back towards him. "I'm not paying _anything_. If your boss or _whoever _he is doesn't like that, you can tell him to be a _man _and come discuss this with me himself. Okay?"

He stared at me for a long moment, his eyes widening slightly, before taking the paper and folding it into his pocket. I didn't let my gaze soften at all as I looked at him.

"Very well," he said, his voice quiet and soft. As he turned to leave, I saw Alice's neck crane up a bit to follow him. He disappeared quietly, the paper gone and my heart hammering in my chest.

I looked at her, my breaths shallow. Oh, god, was I _pissed_. "Can you believe that?"

She was smiling slightly, her eyes still on the door. "He definitely was something else, wasn't he?"

I groaned then, my eyes fluttering closed. "Alice! That guy just tried to _bill _me for a spilt coffee!"

Her mesmerized state was broken immediately and she hopped to her feet, reaching for her drink. "People can sue companies for that, Bella. You should be lucky he didn't push it further. Especially since he and _Jasper _seem to be wealthy."

As she left with a kiss blown through the air, I was left at the counter seething. I don't _care _if people sue for lids being popped off. If he'd had the integrity to confront me himself rather than sending one of his monkey minions to collect - _maybe _I'd reacted differently. However wealthy or powerful this Mr. _Cullen _was - I wouldn't crumple under his authority. No, no.

I slumped against the counter a bit, pressing my palms against my face as that number of six hundred burned in my mind. Maybe I would get drunk tonight after all.


End file.
